Holiday of the Heart
by IdiotWithaBoxandaScrewdriver
Summary: An ordinary woman finds her repetitive life turned upside down. Escaping to a high class resort, with a new drive for life, she plots to bring together two antagonistic, but secretly crushing on each other, young men.
1. Chapter 1

Wolf: Brand new story! This takes many ideas and characters from the movie Last Holiday, so I must give credit where due. Hope you all enjoy, I own nothing but the plot and my new OC!

She was a dreadfully ordinary person, nothing special about her, or so she always told herself. She had a common name, Kat Dawson, and a common, English ancestry. She had come from a middle-class family, living in a nondescript city in the country of Canada. He lived through an ordinary childhood, and went to an ordinary college to study the undistinguished major of culinary arts.

She was of ordinary appearance as well. She was an indistinctive five foot six, not too wide, and not too thin either. Her hair was an everyday shade of brown, cut short around her face, and her eyes were a commonplace colour of blue. She was perfectly plain, at least to herself.

She had only a few qualities, only a few experiences that separated her from the masses. Her one talent that was a little more than ordinary was her cooking. She loved to cook, and would have been one of the top students in her class, if not for the fact that she was so quiet, and so passive that she allowed others to take credit for much of her work.

She had created recipe upon recipe, all of them stored in a little book and copied for her employer in the classy Montreal restaurant she worked in as a chef. She was not a notable chef, she was one of the lowest paid, and yet it was her cooking that was so loved. What could have caused this?

Once again Kat's passive nature had gotten the better of her. The head chef was an aggressive, sexist man who intimidated Kat from the start and marketed her recipes as his own while keeping her in a low paying position working long, strenuous hours. She made the food, but he took all the credit while sitting on his ass in the office or standing over her and the other chefs yelling about something or other.

She was a frazzled 26 year old, no real direction to her life, stuck in a job that she should have loved, but hated, but she had no confidence to quit and start somewhere else or even start her own restaurant. Her one comfort was food and late at night, after a hard day's work she fixed herself the meals that she had created for so many high-end customers, and worked on new ones. She was perpetually tired at work because of this, and because she was kept hopping and sweating, she hardly ever gained weight.

The day that fate decided to intervene was a day like any other, except that she had a terrible headache centering in the back of her head. The yelling of the head chef, Françoise, was not doing anything to help, but she had to keep going. That is, until something hit her in the back of the head, and she dropped like a stone.

She woke up with a flashlight being shined in her eyes. The light went away to be replaced by the face of her doctor, Dr. Shaw, a chocolate-skinned middle-aged man who had a generous smile, which he offered her now.

"Well, good to see you're awake. Your boss hadn't wanted to call the ambulance, but one of your coworkers insisted." Dr. Shaw explained. "I was told that you collapsed, but nothing beyond that, what happened?"

"I have had this terrible headache all day, and someone hit me in the back of the head and I just went dark." Kat explained. "I don't think it's anything to be worried about, just a headache, right?" She finished nervously. Dr. Shaw just looked grave.

"I would like to have an MRI done, just in case, knowing your medical history." He sighed. Kat sighed in return, she needed to get back to work, Françoise would be furious that she had been gone so long as is, but caution overwhelmed her and she agreed to an MRI.

"I do not like this machine." She informed the doctor as she lay inside it. "Too closed in, no room to breathe."

"Yes, yes, you have told me many times, Kat." Dr. Shaw chuckled. When Kat emerged from the machine he was not chuckling anymore, and his shoulders were slumped as he stared at the MRI in front of him, his back to Kat.

"Doctor, what is it?" Kat asked apprehensively. The doctor sighed quietly and turned to her, his dark eyes grave.

"I do not know yet, and I want to run some more tests if you do not mind." He replied. Kat rolled her eyes but subjected herself to a battery of other imaging, blood and other tests by her trusted doctor. When he was done he called a couple of colleagues and they went into an office to discuss while Kat sat and waited for results. Hours ticked by, but finally Dr. Shaw came back out, looking as though he'd seen a death in the family.

"I'm sorry, Kat, but the cancer has returned." He said softly. Kat sat down hard, staring up at him in shock.

"C'est impossible! I have been cancer free since I was 18!" She cried.

"I'm sorry, but the scans show a mass pressing on your brain stem." The doctor replied, showing her the scans.

"Well, what has to be done?" She asked. He shook his head.

"I'm afraid that because of the position of the tumour it is impossible to operate, and without operation, this kind of tumour is fatal." He said slowly. She stared at him, mouth open.

"Are you telling me that I'm going to die?" She demanded. He nodded his head soberly.

"We predict, based on observations of this kind of tumour, that you have about one month left." He said. "Because it is on your brain stem and not pressing on something like the frontal lobe, you will likely not experience any mental instability of any kind, but we will be putting together some antibiotics, and drugs to prevent seizures and also painkillers for the headaches." He knelt down in front of her and took her hands in his. "I cannot tell you how I hoped I was wrong when I saw those MRIs, but I am deeply sorry."

"I know." She whispered. "So am I." He handed her a prescription paper with three different drug names written on it.

"Go to the pharmacy and pick those up, and then go home." He said. "Perhaps you should consider a hospice until the time comes?"

"I want to think about it, thank you." Kat sighed. The thought of a hospice, with all those people just waiting to die, depressed her to no end. She didn't want to think about this, not at all.

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Wolf: Review plz!


	2. Chapter 2

Wolf: I own nothing!

A bottle of wine drowned Kat's sorrows that night as she cried in her lonely, too big house. Once upon a time it had been a family home, passed down from her great-grandparents, and re-occupied when she went to school and her parents followed her, and then it hadn't seemed too big. But when her parents died six years in a car crash, it suddenly seemed so lonely, even more so tonight when all she wanted was someone to hug her and tell her it was alright.

Her job left her no time or energy for a social life, and she was too shy anyways to reach out to strangers. She had no one to lean upon, and nothing but her own thoughts and a bottle of cheap wine to comfort her. Her boss had left several angry messages on her machine, basically telling her to expect a pay cut in the near future because she was absent from work. She knew it would be no use arguing with him.

Finally giving up on the wine she headed upstairs, bypassing her own room and opening the door to what had been her parents' room. Nothing had been touched since their deaths and a layer of dust covered everything. She didn't care. She flopped down on the dusty bed and cried herself into a restless sleep.

&%&%&%&

Françoise, of course, was yelling at her as soon as she got to work the next day. Part of her knew that she probably should be staying home until the end, but it was so habitual, so ingrained in her, that she had dragged herself out of bed, and gone to work. Her headache was back with a vengeance, whether just the tumour, or partly Françoise's yelling, she wasn't sure.

"...And you'll never amount to anything unless you work hard." Françoise was saying, as he simply stood over her while she painstakingly wrapped ravioli with shaking fingers. The only one that truly didn't do any work around the restaurant was him, but she wasn't about to say anything. "You need to learn to move that lazy ass!"

He punctuated the last word with a smack on Kat's rear, something she'd come to expect and was resigned to it, but today, something inside her snapped, and hot anger boiled up, erasing her fears and insecurities. She turned to him, blue eyes blazing.

"The only lazy one around here is you, and I have become tired of taking your abuse and allowing you to take credit for my work." She told him through gritted teeth. His eyes widened in surprise and he took a small step back. "I am not going to take this anymore, I quit." She said, throwing down her chef's hat and marking over to the shelf of recipes.

"What are you doing?" Françoise squawked.

"I am taking my recipes back." Kat stated, taking down the tattered volume.

"But you can't!" Françoise cried, blocking her exit.

"Yes, I can, they belong to me. Unless you want me to get the police involved for sexual harassment, I suggest you move!" She yelled. Françoise gulped and stepped to one side, allowing her past. She walked out of the restaurant and caught the first bus home.

She got into the house and collapsed on her bed, adrenaline rush suddenly gone. She couldn't believe she had quit her job! But then, a small part of her said sensibly, it's not like you could have kept working anyways. She was dying, who cared about working anymore, who cared about 'playing nice'? In a month she'd be gone, and what kind of legacy would she have left?

She sat up and opened the drawer in the night stand beside her bed. A picture of her parents was inside, along with a box marked 'Treasures and Dreams'. She took both these out, placing the photo of her parents on her pillow and rubbing the sanded, dark-stained hardwood box that her grandfather had made for her many years ago.

"Ma mere, mon pere, I am sorry I have not spoken to you in some time, but I am always busy, always tired." She sighed. "I will have plenty of time now though, for you see, the cancer came back, and this time... well, I'll be seeing you face-to-face soon." She rubbed the box again. "Grandpere told me to put my dreams in here, and someday they would come true, but only if I really, really wanted them."

She opened the box and took out her first chef's hat. "I wanted to be a big-time chef, like in Paris, but I haven't gotten there yet, have I?" A picture cut from a magazine came out next. "Chef Didier, he was my inspiration, remember? I wanted so bad to meet him, I still do." A brochure for a resort, Hotel Le Pupp, came out next. "This is where the chef works, it is a fantastic place, and I wanted to vacation there, when I had the money, and the time."

She traced the items, tears gathering in her eyes. "I guess I won't ever get there now." She looked at the remains of her dreams. "I always told myself, I just need more time, more money, next year, next year, but it never came, did it? And now it's too late."

She closed her eyes and rubbed at the back of her head, where the headache was centered. Her eyes then popped open. "Non, non, it is not too late. I still have a month or so, don't I? I can sell the house, and the stuff in it, I won't need it anymore and there's no other family to give to. I have my inheritance still in the bank, I never touched it, and I have my own savings. I could go, I could do it!"

%&%&%&%

Seto Kaiba looked around the lobby of the Hotel Le Pupp, glancing once at the trim, older man at his side and the familiar brunette at his side that was the business man's current personal assistant and likely squeeze. That Tea had sunk so low astounded him, but then he'd never been real close with the 'geek squad' and so didn't know the dynamics. She saw him looking and gave him a wink and a flirty smile.

Seto looked away, glancing quickly at Mokuba, who was groggy from jet lag, and then at the front desk, where a young woman was checking in. She wasn't much to look at, and she didn't look like anyone important, but this hotel catered to the well-off, so she had to be someone. The young woman finished her business and moved backwards, accidently colliding with Seto's travelling companion, Mr. Kragen.

"Oh, excuse-moi!" She said in a lightly accented voice that Seto immediately recognised as being Quebecoise.

"Oh good, help. You can take our bags up." Mr. Kragen said, mistaking the woman for one of the staff by her accent. Seto saw the woman make a move as though to pick up the bag, but then her shoulders squared and she looked Kragen right in the eye.

"I am not one of the staff, monsieur, I am a guest. You should not assume that I am something because of my accent, Mr. Kragen. Always so quick to make judgement, never take the time to think, even with your dinner at Le Petit Gout." She stated, naming the restaurant she worked at for all those years. "You order something without looking and then send it back when it wasn't what you expected, such waste."

"You know me?" Kragen asked, surprised.

"I know of you, not personally though." The woman stated. "And you Mr. Kaiba, you always enjoyed the ravioli, correct?"

"Yes, I never saw you there though." Seto said, surprised because he made a point to scope out any place he went.

"Non, you would not have seen me." The woman chuckled and then accepted help from a young bellhop.

"You should know better than to make judgements like that, you're a business man, are you not?" Seto chided.

"Of course I am!" Kragen retorted. "That's the reason we're here, isn't it? To discuss business?" Seto disliked the man, he knew from intelligence gathered that he was a womanizer, brash, pompous and rude. His company though had cornered the market on virtual reality, and Seto felt a partnership would benefit his corporation, and so he put up with the man.

He was very interested in the young woman. He had never been unable to place someone who already knew him, and yet she had him stumped. He thought she would prove to be a delightful riddle and hoped he would be seeing her again.

%&%&%&%

"I can't believe you won tickets to this place." Joey stated as he stared around in awe. "That ceiling, it's incredible!"

"I know Joey." Yugi sighed patiently. "You've been saying so for the last five minutes." A soft chuckle and gentle kiss tickled his sensitive ear.

"Let him have his fun." Yami advised. "He's never been in a place like this."

"Neither have we." Solomon Motou stated, looking around. "What do you think Yami? Does it rival the beauty of your old home?" Yami looked around critically.

"It's... different, I'm not sure I can compare." He said finally. "Though, I think I'll reserve judgement until I see the rooms." He said.

"What's in the room?" Joey asked. Yugi sighed and shook his head.

"The bed."

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Wolf: Review plz!


	3. Chapter 3

Wolf: I own nothing!

"**French language"**

"Hey, isn't that Tea?" Joey asked as the four of them made their way to the dining room. Yugi and Yami looked where he was pointing and indeed saw the brunette in a strapless green dress standing beside a middle-aged man in a suit, who seemed to be impatiently waiting for something.

Joey turned away and watched a young woman make her way into the dining room, alone. She was average-sized, and fairly average-looking, but carried herself proudly. He watched as she was led to a table and only one menu was put down. He thought that you'd have to be pretty ballsy to dine alone in a place like this.

"Well, well, what have we here?" Joey groaned inwardly at the familiar, unwelcome voice. Figures the universe would give him a chance to have a great time, and then ruin it by bringing in the one guy that hated his guts the most. He turned slowly and favoured Seto with a small glare, not wanting to get into it in the tux he was wearing.

"Where'd you get that ratty thing, the Salvation Army, or just the dump?" That stung. The suit had been in a second hand store, but it had cost him a pretty penny all the same. He didn't give Seto the satisfaction of rising to the bait though. "Aww, did someone debark the mutt?" Seto taunted. Joey sighed and squared his shoulders, turning to face Seto completely.

"Unlike you, I know how to be civil, and understand that certain places are not for sparring, verbal or otherwise. Also, I am determined to enjoy the time that I have here, and I'm not going to let some pompous businessman ruin it for me." Joey turned his back, clearly snubbing the taller boy. A soft growl made him smirk slightly; he liked it when he was the one getting under Seto's skin.

"Oh, hello Seto, I didn't know you were here too." Yugi had finally noticed Seto, and being the friendly little thing that he was, he was smiling up at the tall young man. Seto looked down his nose at the diminutive teenager.

"I'm surprised any of you have the means to stay here." He said finally.

"We won a trip, it was a prize in a game of chance, you know how good Yami is at those." Yugi smiled at his boyfriend, who kissed him on the forehead. Seto's eyelid twitched at the gesture, but he said nothing.

"Ahh, Seto, early of course, as usual." Seto turned and gave Kragen and Tea a nod.

"Tea? What are you doing here?" The brunette didn't look particularly happy to see her friends.

"I was about to ask you the same question, and I am Mr. Kragen's personal assistant." She replied, putting her hand on Kragen's elbow.

"That's good Tea, glad you found a job to pay for college." Yami said. Tea flashed him a coy smile. Joey rolled his eyes discreetly; she was still after Yami even though he and Yugi had been steady for months and absolutely adored each other. Yugi didn't see it, the frustration and dislike in Tea's eyes when she saw them together, and Yugi wouldn't hear anything said against his friends. Joey just hoped Yugi wouldn't wind up getting hurt.

"Are these your friends?" Kragen asked, looking over the four lower-class 'interlopers' with barely disguised disgust for a moment before smiling with as much good will as a shark. "Why don't you sit with us, I'm sure Mr. Kaiba wouldn't mind." Seto looked at the three of them, smirking at Joey in particular and then nodded his assent.

Joey followed them nervously, not liking the challenging look in Seto's eyes. He passed by the young woman, who was speaking in rapid French to the waiter who was taking her order. She wasn't quite as plain as he initially thought, not with the small, amused smile that curved up her lips. The waiter looked surprised, and a little nervous.

"Well, it was very kind of you to invite us to dine with you." Solomon stated politely as they sat down and accepted menus. Joey noticed Yugi watching his grandfather closely and did the same, seeing the faint grimace on the old man's face that usually meant his arthritis was acting up.

"Can I look at yours with you grandpa to decide?" Yugi asked, taking one side of the menu. Joey watched Seto raise an eyebrow at the seemingly childish gesture. Joey wasn't about to explain it to him and looked at his menu, hoping there was at least something he could understand.

%&%&%&%

Kat was on cloud nine. Not only had her room been absolutely beautiful with the most stunning view of the mountains, but her bed was the softest, most comfortable thing she had ever slept on in her life. Now she was in the restaurant where her idol worked making wonderful food for all these people, and tonight she got to be one of them!

She smoothed the red silk of the sleeveless dress that she was wearing as she waited for her food to arrive. She had gone shopping in the city earlier, and bought a whole bunch of clothes that she would never have worn in Montreal, but she was feeling pretty daring and had decided to go for it. She felt good in the dress, for once not feeling so much like a plain little nothing.

She had gone a little crazy with ordering food. When she found out that chef Didier didn't ever do the same menu twice she decided she needed to have all the dishes that suited her fancy all at once so she wouldn't miss out on the deliciousness. It wasn't as though she had to worry about her weight, or cholesterol, or heart. She had about a week or a week and a half left, and she was determined to fit many years of enjoyment that she had missed out on in those few days.

When the food came out, all she could do for a moment was stare at it all. The smells overwhelmed her, making her mouth water in anticipation. She hardly knew where to begin, so she took the closest thing and started with that. She took a few bites of one dish, and then moved on to another, doing the same around her table until she had tasted everything, then she started the process all over again.

She could sense the other diners' eyes on her, but chose to ignore them all except for a young man with messy blond hair who grinned at her and gave her a thumbs up. She smiled at him in return and twirled her fork around her plate.

Suddenly a hand touched her shoulder and she looked up, right into the face of her beloved idol, chef Didier.

"Bonjour." He said.

"B-bonjour." She replied shakily. He smiled, a small man with blond hair and a weathered, creased face that was as expressive as it could be stoic.

"**You are enjoying your dinner, I assume?" **Kat was so tongue-tied that she merely dropped her eyes to the ground and played with the edge of the tablecloth. **"Come now, I don't bite."** Didier coaxed, chuckling slightly. **"I notice that you have finished the ravioli, but nothing else."**

"**I have a particular fondness for ravioli." **Kat admitted, finding her voice again. **"There is a spice in yours though, gives it a bit of bite, and I'm not sure..."** Didier watched her, waiting while she thought about the taste of the ravioli. **"You put curry powder in with the meat, did you not?"**

"**Yes, gives it a little kick."**

"**Unusual, but inspired. Good to take things from different cultures and mix flavours to come up with something unique." **Kat paused and considered her next words. What if he didn't want to hear about her own experiences with cooking? She was not world renowned as he was. But, then, what harm could it do? She would be gone in less than two weeks. **"I have my own special secret for my ravioli, I put nutmeg in the dough. Gives it a little special something, you know?"**

"**Ahh, you are a chef then?" **Didier asked, his eyes bright and interested.

"**Yes, but I am no international phenomenon, like yourself, you do not want to be discussing recipes with me." **Kat said, fumbling as he stared at her intently.

"**Much of my inspiration comes from people like you, who cook for their enjoyment, and have ideas that although have not made it onto international plates, are wonderful." **Kat stared at him for a moment, thinking that it had been a long time since she'd worked out of enjoyment anymore. The only time she enjoyed cooking anymore was when it was for herself, and even then she was so tired... Why had she allowed herself to stop enjoying life?

She looked up to find Didier gesturing at someone. **"I am sorry, Mr. Kragen wishes me to come say hello, he is a frequent guest and I like to keep him happy because then he doesn't try to get my staff fired, you know?"** Kat looked where he was pointing and made a faint face. **"You know him?"**

"**Not really, but he was rude enough to assume that I was one of the help just because of my accent and speech." **Kat replied.

"**He is not the most considerate man." **Didier admitted. He held out his hand to her. Hesitantly she placed hers in his and he lifted it to his lips and kissed the back of it lightly. **"I always enjoy seeing a woman that enjoys her food as much as you. I hope I will be seeing you again."**

"**For certain." ** Kat replied dazedly, and then watched, starstruck, as he walked away.

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Wolf: Review plz!


	4. Chapter 4

Wolf: I own nothing!

Kat needed to unwind after last night's exciting dinner in which she met her idol, chef Didier. She decided that she would plan some interesting activities for herself and make use of some of the hotel's facilities, first and foremost being the pool. It had been some years since she had time for a swim, but she had always loved the soothing feel of the water and decided there was no time for waiting.

There were two young man, looking like brothers with their similar spiked, tri-coloured hair, but acting more like lovers, playing in the shallows of the pool while an old man looked on in amusement already in the pool. Unsure of her swimming abilities, Kat sat down at the edge of the pool and dipped her feet in the cool water.

A few feet away from her the blond-haired boy from last night surface, blowing water from his mouth like a breaching whale. He saw her and gave her a wide, friendly grin that she instantly responded to. It was hard not to smile back, he had such a friendly-natured look to him, much like a faithful puppy, that she just wanted to ruffle his hair.

"Hello there!" He called, swimming closer, bobbing slightly in the water.

"Bonjour." Kat replied.

"You talk like the locals, are you from around here?" He asked.

"Non, I am from Quebec." She smiled at his confused look. "It is in Canada."

"Oh, cool. I'm from Japan, so that's a long ways away." He explained.

"Across the pond, so to speak." Kat chuckled. The young man chuckled too and then stuck out a hand.

"I'm Joey by the way." Kat took his hand and shook it.

"Kat." She replied.

"Nice to meet you." Joey grinned. "Nice to see some of the people staying here are down to earth."

"Why do you say that?" Kat questioned.

"Well, me and my friends," He gestured over to the oddly similar-looking young men. "we won this trip, and so we're not exactly rich, we don't fit into this crowd." Kat smiled at him, relaxing further.

"I'll let you in on a secret." She whispered. "I'm not exactly rich either." Joey looked at her in surprise. "I wanted to come here for a long time, and I sold a few things, saved a lot and I came."

"I'm saving up, but to get my own apartment." Joey said rather wistfully. "I just need to make sure my old man doesn't find it... never mind."

"Well, it's good to have goals anyways." Kat said awkwardly, not liking the unhappy look on her new young friend's face. The look quickly melted into another smile.

"I have to say, I was impressed by all the stuff you ate last night." Kat felt a blush rise to her cheeks. "I mean, it's just that not a lot of girls really show as much enthusiasm for food as you did. Most are too concerned about their weight and stuff to really love their food."

"Ahh, if food was not meant to be enjoyed, it would not come in such wonderful flavours, oui?" Kat stated. Joey nodded eagerly.

"I agree. I had this friend, who was a girl, and she would go on these crazy diets she found in magazines and I was always like enjoy your food, and she'd just look at me like I was insane and go back to eating her celery or whatever it was that week." Kat shook her head, and then spotted a young brunette in a bikini that left little to the imagination sauntering into the pool area. "Speak of the devil."

"She is your friend?" Kat asked in surprise.

"Sort of, she acts all friendly sometimes, but she's kind of after my best buddy Yugi's guy, and I don't think she's going to remain very friendly if she can't have him."

"Yugi is one of the ones over there in the shallows?"

"Yeah, he's the smaller of the two, and Yami is the other, and they're lovers."

"Bien, bien. They look very happy with each other." Kat said in approval. "One of my college roommates had a female partner, lovely couple they were, wish I had stayed in contact with them."

"I'm glad you're alright with it, too many people think it's disgusting, but the two of them are so in love with each other." Joey sighed, smiling at his two friends. The smile faded as Seto Kaiba and his little brother Mokuba walked into the room as well. Kat followed his gaze.

"Do you know monsieur Kaiba?" She asked.

"Unfortunately, he goes to my school, and he's a total ass to me. Thinks he's better than me because he's got more money, can get all the best grades so easily and is a better gamer than me." Joey growled softly. Kat shrugged her shoulders.

"I can't say I know him personally, but the wait staff say he is polite and leaves good tips, so he can't be all bad."

"Because he leaves a good tip?" Joey asked with a raise of his eyebrow.

"Many of our patrons do not take the time to think of our staff as human, and so are rude and leave little tips, not understanding that this is the only thing they have to live on. Monsieur Kaiba is polite and gracious so long as the staff do their jobs well, that sets him apart from many that I have seen."

"Huh, I suppose that makes sense. But then why is he always on my case?" Joey asked.

"Maybe you offer him a challenge of some kind." Kat suggested. Joey shrugged and looked over at Seto. Kat did not miss the look of longing and admiration in his honey-coloured eyes. She smiled to herself, thinking that the line between love and hate was very thin indeed.

"Geronimo!" Joey and Kat sputtered as they were hit by a wave of water generated by Mokuba's splashy entrance right beside them.

"Hey Joey!" Mokuba yelled when he surfaced.

"Mokuba, you dope, you got Kat wet!" Joey chastised. Mokuba turned and gave her a sheepish look.

"Sorry, I was just trying to get Joey."

"It's nothing."Kat replied. "Little water never hurt me." Mokuba grinned at her, happy she wasn't mad like some girls would be.

"How come you know chef Didier?" Mokuba asked.

"That is a question I would like to know the answer to as well." Kat had to crane her neck to look into Seto Kaiba's face.

"I had never spoken to him until last night." She answered truthfully. He raised an eyebrow and she shrugged nonchalantly. "He said he admired a woman with an appetite for her food and we shared a few words about our love of the art of cooking."

"Nothing else, you were just having a friendly conversation." Kat rolled her eyes at his disbelieving tone.

"You're such a businessman, sometimes a talk really is just a talk." She stated. Joey just glared when Seto turned his regard to him.

"What's the matter, Mutt? Am I ruining your view?" Seto smirked.

"You'll only ruin my vacation if I allow you to." Joey replied loftily.

"Hmph, better enjoy it while you can, you probably will never get anywhere near as nice a place as this anytime in the future." Seto sneered. Kat watched a flicker of pain go through Joey's eyes and wished she had also the courage to stand up for him.

"Maybe not, but at least I don't have to pretend to like selfish oily businessmen." Joey responded finally. He dunked beneath the water and swam over to where Yugi and Yami were playing keep-away. Kat saw the way Seto's eyes tracked the blond boy's movements.

"You know, someday you may say something that he will never speak to you again for." She said idly.

"Like I care." Seto growled, but staring up into those cold blue eyes, she thought she saw a flash of worry go through them and smiled to herself. Love and hate were very close indeed, so easy for one to become another. She slid into the water finally, allowing herself to sink almost all the way to the bottom and as she held her breath she thought of what she wanted to do in her last little while.

She wanted to make a difference, no matter how small. And looking at the two boys who so admired each other, perhaps even loved each other, but were afraid to admit it, she thought she had a perfect idea of what that difference could be. The only question was, could she accomplish it with what little time she had left?

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Wolf: Review plz!


	5. Chapter 5

Wolf: I own nothing!

Joey and his friends were out on the slopes of the resort's ski hills, trying their skills at snowboarding. Joey had whetted his appetite on the kiddie hills, and was feeling confident enough to tackle some of the larger ones when he noticed Kat getting lessons from an instructor on snowboarding. From the frown on her face, it didn't look like things were going well.

He hefted his snowboard and walked over, just as Kat slid a couple feet and overbalanced, wiping out. The instructor rolled his eyes and started yelling at Kat. Joey pushed past him, giving him one of the deadpan looks he'd perfected as a gang member and held out a hand for Kat. He felt a twinge of sympathy when he saw tears gathering at the corners of her eyes.

"Here now, you're not doing too badly." He coaxed. She sniffed lightly.

"I'm horrible, don't lie." Her voice was despondent.

"Naw, you just don't have the balance right, and you don't know how to stop properly." Joey helped her to her feet. "You've got to lean forward, and feel the balance in the board and your body. Here, I'll show you."

He put his snowboard on and began coasting a ways down the hill, coming to a stop and then running back up. "Do you see?"

"I think?" Kat looked up at him doubtfully. Joey smiled and held on to her arms.

"I'll stick with you, I can probably teach you better than the guy that you hired. How much did you pay anyways?" Kat shrugged and shook her head.

"Money isn't going to be much use to me in a little while."

"What does that mean?" She smiled, and Joey saw again her plain face transform with the sincerity of the smile into something pretty.

"You're a good boy, I will not burden you with my troubles." Joey frowned slightly, but didn't ask any further. Instead he gently pulled Kat along, coaching her into getting her balance, allowing her to feel the way the board should move while she was safely held in his arms.

%&%&%&%

Seto didn't much like the cold, but Kragen had wanted to go skiing, and Mokuba had wanted to snowboard, so he had bundled up in expensive winter attire and rented skis of his own. He knew how to ski, but he never saw the point of riding up and down hills all day, where was the intellectual stimulation in that?

"Hey, is that Joey?" Mokuba called, pointing with one mitten-clad hand down to the adjacent bunny-hill. Seto looked and did see the familiar mop of blond hair down on the kiddie slope. "What's he doing down there?"

"Probably as far as the poor third-rate citizen can go." Kragen laughed. Seto had used the term third-rate duelist to describe Joey, but somehow it sounded infinitely more insulting coming from the infuriating businessman. He thought about saying something, but was stopped by the sight of Mokuba making his way down to where Joey was. He let out a silent sigh and followed after.

"Hey Joey!" Seto winced as Mokuba did a faceplant in the snow. "What're you doing?" Mokuba asked when he'd spat the snow from his mouth and clawed it out of his eyes.

"I'm just teaching Kat here how to balance on her snowboard." Joey answered, and Seto saw for the first time that the young lady was indeed gripping on to Joey's arms as though afraid to let go, and had a distinctly nervous air about her.

"Doesn't look like she's enjoying your company much, boy." Kragen commented, shedding snow on Joey's legs as he stopped in front of him.

"I can assure you that Joey's company is much appreciated, I just am not sure about my balance." Kat retorted angrily. "Once again, jumping to conclusions." She sniffed. "Okay, I think I'm ready to try this on my own."

"Alright, I'm going to let go, and remember how I showed you how to stop." Kat nodded, biting her lip, and Joey released her. She wobbled for a moment and then began to slowly coast down the hill. After a few metres she stopped, windmilling her arms for a second and then standing up straight again, turning back to give Joey a thumbs up.

"You think you're ok to go on your own?" Joey asked.

"Oui, I think I'll manage." Kat replied with a still faintly doubtful smile. Joey grinned and gave her another thumbs-up. He turned away as she slowly began to coast the rest of the way down the hill.

"Now, I wonder where Yugi and Yami went." He muttered, scratching his head with Seto thought was an adorably confused look on his face. He mentally smacked himself for the thought; it was Joey, the mutt, after all that he was talking about.

"Did you leave them to help her or something?" Mokuba asked.

"Yeah, the guy who was helping her wasn't doing much good."

"You barely know her, why would you help her? Did she offer you money or something?" Joey growled at him, the familiar fire lighting up his beguiling golden eyes.

"For your information Seto Kaiba, I don't expect something in return for doing something for someone, I do it out of kindness, something you seem to have forgotten how to show." Joey snapped. "I did it because she looked like she needed some help, so I gave it to her. She's a nice little thing, kind of shy I think though."

"She's got to be a dignitary or something, I mean she was at Le Petit Gout enough to know both of our habits." Kragen murmured. "What do you know about her, boy?" Joey shrugged his shoulders.

"She appreciates good food and she obviously wants to learn to snowboard." He replied. Seto could tell that he was holding back, but didn't say anything, storing the memory for later investigation; what had the woman told him.

"I could pay a handsome price if you were to find and give me information about her." Kragen wheedled. Joey gave him a disgusted look.

"I'm not so hard up for money that I'm going to go behind her back and sell her secrets."

"You barely know the woman!" Kragen yelled. "What's the harm?"

"I lose the trust of a potential friend, she may wind up hurt and I don't want that on my conscience. I like her spunk, and I want to be her friend, not a snitch." Joey hefted his snowboard higher and gave both Kragen and Kaiba a fiery glare. "And I'd suggest you both leave her alone, if you know what's good for you."

Seto loved that look in Joey's eyes, the challenging, unafraid look. So few people gave him that look and even fewer refused to fold even when Seto set out to smash their arguments. Joey, either by sheer stubbornness, stupidity, or a misplaced sense of righteousness, never folded, but often stalked off, so angry that he would punch something. Seto had long since learned that the punching of walls was restraint, what Joey really wanted to punch was him.

Sometimes Seto wondered if one day Joey would just snap and punch him anyways, but he kept baiting Joey, just to see that spark in his eyes, to have someone come up against him, challenge him, even if he was wrong. Maybe that was even better, to have someone fight back when they were wrong, when Seto had told them they were wrong, so few people would do that, too afraid to do it.

"Seto, are we going to go or what?" Seto pulled himself from his thoughts to smile down at Mokuba.

"We're going Mokuba." He said, patting his brother's head. Mokuba gave him a reproachful look, every inch the 'grown-up' teenager that couldn't be bothered with silly shows of affection like that. He took off down the bunny hill, coasting to a stop next to Kat, who had made her way finally to the bottom. Seto rolled his eyes and skied down as well.

"I suppose you won't tell us yourself why exactly you are here, and who exactly you are." Seto stated. She rubbed the back of her head, looking as though it pained her.

"I am here to enjoy myself, and as for who I am, I am simply what you see in front of you." She replied, pulling a vial of pills out of her pocket and swallowing two while grimacing.

"Are you alright?" Mokuba asked in concern.

"It's just a headache, nothing to worry about." She smiled. "Funny how you let him argue with you, Joey, I mean. You never let people argue, you just start ignoring them, but him... looks almost like you enjoy the arguing."

"That's preposterous." Seto protested. "He's just a mutt."

"I'm just telling you what I see." Kat shrugged. "Remember what I said though, be careful what you say, otherwise he may never argue with you again." With that she picked up her board and headed back up the hill again, leaving Seto with more questions than ever.

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Wolf: Review plz!


	6. Chapter 6

Wolf: I own nothing!

Kat rubbed at the back of her head, feeling the bump back there that was the only indication that there was a tumour growing in there; that and the headache that was her constant companion, though the painkillers helped with that some. What the medications didn't help was the feeling of a clock ticking down every minute of every day that she was still living.

"Hey, Kat!" It wasn't a yell, but it was a call that carried above the chitter-chatter by the dining room. Kat turned and smiled at Joey in his second-hand suit, which was well kept and even sewn up in a few spots with an expert hand.

"Bonjour, Joey." She said, bowing her head slightly at his friends and their grandfather.

"This is the girl I keep running into, her name is Kat. Kat, this is Yugi and his lover Yami, and Yugi's grandfather Solomon Motou." Joey explained at a rapid pace, panting for breath when he was done.

"Bonjour to all of you." She said, smiling at all of them.

"It's good to meet you, Joey's been chattering about you since we got back from snowboarding." Yugi said in the sweetest voice she'd ever heard in her life. His huge violet eyes were so innocent and gentle and Kat got the feeling that he had his lover, who gazed down at Yugi with adoration, wrapped around his little finger.

"Yes, I think we've all been spared more hours of ceaseless chatter seeing you here." Yami added in an almost impossibly deep voice that was as sexy as it was commanding. Kat felt her knees go rubbery as she stared into fiery crimson, as she was sure many knees had gone weak before. Solomon Motou had Yugi's eyes and had a peaceful air about him that reminded her of her own dearly departed grandfather, who had died many years ago when she was a child.

"Will you sit with us?" Yugi asked. "We noticed that you were sitting alone last night, and we would like to give you some company."

"That would be excellent, thank you." Kat accepted.

"Joey, are you guys going to sit with us tonight again?" Mokuba asked as he bounced up. Joey grinned and reached down to adjust Mokuba's wayward tie.

"What do you think guys, should we sit with them?" Yugi and Yami shrugged their shoulders. "And you, Kat?"

"I am fine with sitting with them." She said. Seto gave her a hard look, but didn't protest her sitting down with them. Kat didn't like the look that Kragen was giving her, it reeked of trouble. She resolved to watch what she said to him.

"I'm wondering if chef Didier will make another appearance tonight." Kragen said as they sat down, casting a meaningful glance at Kat.

"I do not know what the chef will do, monsieur Kragen." Kat replied politely.

"Well, you seemed very buddy-buddy with him last night." He reminded her.

"As I have said before, I did not know him until coming here. We simply share an appreciation for the art of cooking, and were discussing that last night." She explained. "He finds it rare that he gets to serve a woman with an appetite for food."

"Well, obviously you're not too concerned about watching your weight." To most people Tea may have sounded merely idle, but Kat had dealt with Françoise's cutting tone for years and she flinched at the jeer in it. "Yami, what do you think of my dress?"

Kat suppressed the urge to roll her eyes as Tea fluttered her eyelashes, and leaned over the table, flashing them all a little bit.

"It could be a little less revealing." Yami replied, then turned back to his conversation with Yugi. Tea pouted, and Kat couldn't help adding her own two cents in.

"There are names where I come from for women that wear such small dresses and show so much, but I will not repeat them in polite company."

"Are you calling me a whore?" Tea demanded. Part of Kat told her to back off and leave it alone, but the bold part of her that said it didn't matter, she would be dead soon anyways, won out.

"Perhaps I am, but it is your fault for wearing such a revealing dress in a place so fancy." Tea opened and closed her mouth, finding she was unable to retort. Kat deliberately turned away from the girl and smiled and Joey.

"Joey, tell me, who did the sewing on your suit, it is magnifique." Joey blushed and toyed with his shirt cuffs.

"Well, actually, I did that myself."

"C'est vrai?" Kat smiled.

"Yeah, I mean, I don't have money to spare to go to a tailor or something, and my mom left when I was a kid, so I learned to do a lot of things for myself." Joey replied. "I'm good with my hands, you see."

"Ah, and what do you plan to do with your hands?" Kat asked.

"Well, I want to go to the trades school, and learn to be a mechanic." Joey explained.

"Hmph, dreaming small, like the low class citizen you are." Kat saw Joey bristle, and jumped in before he could say something stupid.

"How is a mechanic any less important than a CEO?" She demanded. "They both serve integral functions for society, perhaps the mechanic even more so."

"Why do you say that?" Seto asked.

"Well, most people drive cars, correct? And most people do not know how to fix those cars if something gets broken. The mechanic keeps our gas-fuelled society running. Just as it takes a particular type of person to run a company, it takes a particular kind of mind to take apart a car and then be able to put it back together so that it still runs right. Could you do that, monsieur Kaiba?"

"I suppose not." Seto admitted. Kat could see the cogs working in his mind. Here was a man that wasn't going to admit defeat, or love, very easily.

"**Hello, may I take your order?"** Kat looked up at the nervous young waiter.

"Speak English, stupid boy." Kat gave him a scathing look.

"You should not speak that way to anyone, it is rude and arrogant." She told him. **"Good evening young man, is it your first time working?"** The waiter bobbed his head. **"Ignore the man, he is simply rude and uncouth."**

"What are they saying?" Yugi asked as the two continued to chat.

"I was just asking Phillipe here what the specials were for tonight." Kat replied. "I have an idea, since all chef's dishes are wonderful, we can order a few of each dish and try everything, so that we don't miss out on any opportunities."

"I think that sounds like a wonderful idea." Solomon replied. One by one everyone else agreed to the unorthodox dinner. Kat relayed the request back to Phillipe and he headed for the kitchen. When the food came out, Phillipe stood nervously, as though waiting for something.

"**Yes, Phillipe?"**

"**Ah, chef Didier regrets that he will not be able to speak with you tonight as he did last night, a few of the kitchen staff are ill and so he is very busy."**

"**That is quite alright, I don't expect him to come and talk to me."**

"**He would however, if you are interested, like you to accompany him down to the village where he gets many of his supplies for the kitchen." **Kat thought about that for a moment and then nodded.

"**Please tell chef Didier that I would be honoured." **Phillipe gave her a little bow and scampered off. Kat sipped her wine and turned back to the table.

"What was that about?" Joey asked.

"Chef Didier would like my company for tomorrow in the market." She replied.

"And you still say you don't know him?" Kragen persisted.

"I did not, before coming here." Kat repeated.

"So why would he spend time with you?" Tea asked in a peeved tone. Kat shook her head.

"I haven't the foggiest idea."

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Wolf: Review plz!


	7. Chapter 7

Wolf: I own nothing!

Kat awoke early to meet Chef Didier. She wore a pair of loose fawn trousers and pulled over the long black trenchcoat that was lined on the inside with imitation fur to keep her warm. On her head she placed a black ski cap and her hands were encased in soft leather gloves. Didier was waiting for her at the foot of the stairs and he bowed slightly as she walked up.

"**Forgive me for having you up at such an early hour."** He said to her.

"**I am used to waking early." **She replied, smiling. He held out his arm and she slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow and allowed him to lead her off.

"**I hope you don't mind the walk that will take us there."** Kat shook her head; she enjoyed the sight of the world turning from dark to light as they walked alone in the silence that was a place without humans.

"**I am still a little confused as to why you wanted me to join you this morning." **She informed him. He looked at her, his craggy face inscrutable in the dawn-light.

"**I have worked here many years, and though I enjoy what I do, I have grown jaded towards my clientele. They all tend to be conceited and superior and they treat my staff like they are nothing. I have come to expect that sort of behaviour, and the picky, half-assed manner in which they eat, always leaving good food untouched and demanded that it be changed to suit them." **Didier explained. **"But then there was you, you were kind, and polite to my staff and your appetite for food is just so wonderful. How could I not have some form of interest for a woman that defies everything I've come to believe about the people that stay here?"**

"**You have too little faith in people." **Kat chided, but hadn't she felt the same way sometimes. **"I am kind to your people because I know what it is like to work in a kitchen, and be on that side, so I understand what they go through." **She explained. **"I am nothing special; I just don't like seeing people bullied, now that I no longer allow myself to be bullied."**

"**You are special, you have courage to stand up to these people, especially now, knowing that you are not actually one of the rich and powerful." **

"**Chef Didier-"**

"**Gerard, please." **He interrupted, giving her a charming smile. **"You come in, and you know that you are not like them, and yet you constantly are going up against them, defending my people against them, defending yourself, even though they are more powerful than you. I call that courage." **Kat blushed and looked down. **"Now, I would like to know a little bit more about you, where do you come from?"**

Kat spent much of the remainder of their walk to the market speaking of her life in Montreal. Gerard was surprisingly easy to talk to once she'd gotten past her shyness of being with her idol. Gerard made no comments as she spoke, just regarded her with solemn dark eyes. He didn't call her coward even when she found the courage to tell him of her treatment at the hands of Françoise.

"**I once went to that restaurant." **He said instead. **"It was about a year ago only. Does that mean the food that I ate was in fact your recipe?"**

"**Most likely yes." **Kat replied. Gerard was silent after that, thinking, if the furrow in his brow was any indication. They approached the market and Gerard once again engaged in discussion with both her and the vendors in the market. There was a lot of fish, cheeses, some wines, spices and local vegetables that had been kept in storage for the winter market.

Gerard explained that all the rest was imported, but was inspected first by him before it got anywhere near the food preparation table. If it wasn't up to his standards, he didn't serve it. As they walked back up to the hotel, Gerard was silent again.

"**I had asked your chef, this Françoise, to show me some of his recipes, to get ideas for some of my own, and he refused. Those were your recipes though, and I would like to ask of you the same thing."**

"**You would use my recipes to create new ones of your own?" **Kat asked in surprise. Gerard nodded in reply. **"I would be honoured." **

%&%&%&%

Seto walked alone through the front door of the hotel. He enjoyed early morning walks; they gave him a chance to think without being interrupted by anyone. He also enjoyed the cool air, the way it felt clean in his lungs and woke him up without caffeine. He felt energized and also calmed by the snow-covered mountains.

He was barely out of the main lobby when he saw Yami and Tea talking near one of the doors. Intrigued, he paused and strained to hear what was being said. When he couldn't hear, he settled for reading their body language. Tea leaned in towards Yami, trying to seduce him obviously, but Yami was tensed, unyielding.

Seto didn't know why Tea was bothering; Yami was completely devoted to Yugi, it wasn't like Yami would ever cheat on the smaller duelist, or even leave him. But, Tea was always a little bit obsessive, and her behaviour indicated that she had yet to accept the fact that Yugi and Yami were together and not going to break up any time soon.

As Yami turned to go, Tea grabbed at his arm, still talking, while slipping something discreetly in his pocket, a small white square peeking out. Seto doubted the little thing is innocent and moved to intervene. But he was a second too late.

"Monsieur Yami, there seems to be something about to come out of your pocket." The young woman, Kat, called as she walked through the hall. Yami looked and frowned at the thing in his pocket. He took it out, it was a piece of paper, and his countenance turned dark and vengeful. One look at Tea is enough to send her scurrying away as Yami ripped up the paper. Yami quietly thanked Kat and walked off, most likely going to find Yugi.

"Why did you do that?" Seto asked, striding over to Kat. He noted that her cheeks were flushed and nose red, likely from the cold air outside.

"I did it because the girl was obviously making trouble." Kat replied in her lilting accent.

"But you barely know Yami." Seto protested. "What is there to gain?"

"It's not about gain. I may not know much about Yami, but I know his devotion to Yugi, and I know if the note had been seen by Yugi it would have caused distress for their relationship, and so I acted." Kat explained patiently. "I am here simply to relax, not to make negotiations or partnerships." She added meaningfully. Now Seto's curiosity was definitely piqued.

"You seem to be intent on singing Joey's praises to me, why is that?" He asked idly.

"Perhaps I do not like the way you treat him as though he were nothing, when really he is something to you."

"And what makes you think that?" Seto demanded.

"You are a man that expects people to agree with you, and when they don't, you make them." Kat stated calmly. "But with Joey you allow the arguments."

"Only because his arguments are laughable."

"Ahh, but he wins sometimes, does he not?" Seto was taken aback at her eerily perceptive observation. "He would have to have, otherwise he would not argue anymore. And you treat him with enough kindness that he has not decided to kick your skull in either. I have gotten good at reading people over the years, one of only a small handful of functional skills I suppose." Kat shrugged her shoulders. "He's a handsome boy too, don't you think?"

"Then why don't you go after him?" Seto snapped, finding a headache beginning to throb in his temples. Her expression strangely goes abruptly sad and haunted.

"Once, maybe, but I think his heart may belong to someone else already." She replied cheekily, smiling falsely.

"Like who?" Seto snorted in disbelief.

"I do not know that, why would I know that?" Kat asked, her eyes widening innocently. Seto grumbled and walked away from her, tired of riddles. As he walked he saw Joey charging down the stairs, closely followed by Yugi, who panted, trying to keep up with Joey's long legs.

Seto took a moment to look at Joey for a long moment. He was a handsome man, with tanned skin, thick, soft looking hair and fiery golden eyes. He shouldn't be thinking those thoughts though, Joey would never want him and anyways, Seto didn't want him either... did he?

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Wolf: Review plz!


	8. Chapter 8

Wolf: I own nothing!

Seto was bewildered and annoyed by the young woman who so carelessly drudged up such deep emotions within him. He had buried his feelings for the blond, or so he had thought, but Kat's words were slowly wearing him down. Any day he was sure he would turn into a lovesick buffoon and then go panting after Joey, and what would that amount to? The blond didn't want him anyways, Joey hated his guts, right?

He needed to know more about Kat, why she was so bold, why she knew so much about him. He knew that one of the housekeepers, a Miss Gunther, was adept at finding information on people. He walked down the halls, seeking her out. He found her in the halls, and paid her a small sum to find out anything about Kat and tell it to him and him alone. When he found out who she really was, he found that he wasn't that surprised at all.

%&%&%&%

Seto found Kat early the next morning lounging in the hot springs. "Good morning." She jerked in surprise as he slid into the water with her, in a bathing suit of course. She relaxed a little when she saw who it was, sliding back into the water up to her chin.

"Bonjour." She replied lazily. He stared at her a moment, wondering just where to start with her.

"Kathleen Marie Dawson." Kat opened her eyes and stared at him in surprise. "Only daughter of Peter and Emilie Dawson, born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, is that correct?"

"Oui, but how did you-"

"Up until a few weeks ago you were an assistant chef in the restaurant Le Petit Gout, is that also correct?"

"Oui." Kat's tone was terse, wary. "I fail to see your point, monsieur Kaiba."

"My point is that you've been lying to us." Seto growled. Her eyes widened, a trace of worry and panic entering before being swallowed up by stubborn anger.

"I never lied. You never asked who I was, so I did not feel it was necessary to tell you that I was simply a chef on vacation." She snapped. "Forgive me if you feel betrayed, but I was here to enjoy myself, not be pestered, and certainly not to have my privacy invaded." She stood up to leave, but Seto gripped her arm, urging her to sit again.

"You make a compelling argument." He stated. "And I suppose it was uncalled of me to have your things searched."

"What else did you find?" She asked frostily.

"A couple of prescriptions, for painkillers, antibiotics and such, which means that you're sick, maybe very sick." Kat nodded her head soberly. "What are you doing here then?"

"I am enjoying myself, something I have forgotten how to do in the last several years." She answered quietly. "All that can be done for me is being done, and I would just like the chance to have my vacation, oui?"

"I suppose I can understand that." Seto said. She smiled slightly.

"Non, I'm not sure you can anymore. Even in these baths your posture is stiff, tense. You don't know how to relax anymore." She explained.

"Ok, then I can respect that, is that better?"

"Perhaps." They sat in lazy silence for a couple minutes.

"Well, now I know why you and chef Didier connect so well." Seto said after a few minutes. "I'm more surprised he wasn't more interested in the head chef, no offence."

"The head chef at the restaurant I worked in was a fraud, he stole others' recipes and said they were his own, mine included." She replied angrily. "The ravioli you loved so much was actually my own recipe, so it always brought me great joy to see you eat it every time you were in."

"That was your recipe?" Seto asked in astonishment. "You're not lying to me, are you?"

"I have no reason to lie to you, oui?" Kat countered. "I can show you my book of recipes if you do not believe me."

"No, that's fine." Seto grumbled. "Why do you keep trying to get me to go out with Joey, I don't understand your interest in that."

"I simply observed that you had an interest in him, and I don't believe in living a life half-assed, if you will." Kat explained. "Life is so unpredictable, and death is constantly waiting in the wings for you. Wouldn't you like to go to death knowing that you have done everything you wanted to do, risked everything you wanted to risk?"

"I really, highly doubt that Joey wants anything to do with me." Seto said in a sour tone.

"I would not be so sure of that, if I were you." Kat replied. "Is it not true that Joey was involved in a gang when he was younger?"

"How did you know that?" Seto asked.

"He and I have talked quite a bit, he's a wonderful person to talk to." Kat replied. "But, anyways, if he really hated you, do you really think he would hesitate to hurt you, physically, if he was angry."

"Perhaps..."

"He respects you for one thing." Kat soldiered on. "And I can tell you, but don't let him know that I said this, but he gives you the same look you sometimes give him."

"And what look is that?"

"Longing." Seto jerked at the very softly spoken word.

"You're mad."

"I'm no such thing, perhaps you should take a better look some time." Kat responded, nonplussed. "He is a good match for you. He will not stand for your shit, and you will not stand for his. He is warm where you are frigid, you are organized where he is messy and you both are determined, and will do everything in your power to get something if you really, really want it."

Seto thought about how Joey joined Duelist Kingdom for the sole purpose of getting money for his sister's operation. He thought about all the times he had almost failed a class, but never did because he spent his nights studying and went to tutoring and everything. Seto had dismissed all those things before as stupid, but seeing it in a new light, the actions seemed noble, resolute.

"And what if you're wrong, what if I try and woo him, as you are so obviously trying to get me to do, and he rejects me?"

"Then you move on, knowing that you had the courage to go after what you wanted, even if you failed. It will be one last thing for you to regret." She sighed heavily, looking sad. She shook herself off though and gazed at him with frank blue eyes. "I can talk to him, maybe open him up to the idea, but that's all I can do. You must make the move if you really want to see if it can be anything."

"Why should I listen to you?" Seto asked.

"Because I know very well what it's like to regret not doing all the things you wanted to do." Kat replied. Seto opened his mouth to ask was she meant, but she stood up and exited the bath without saying another word.

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Wolf: Review plz!


	9. Chapter 9

Wolf: I own nothing!

"**French"**

Kat woke up to the sound of a ringing phone. She looked around the room and found it was still dark. A quick glance at the clock told her it was about four in the morning, about a half an hour earlier than she normally woke up. She sighed and picked up the phone.

"Bonjour?" She yawned.

"**I hope I did not wake you." **Gerard's even voice said from the telephone.

"**No, I was waking up anyways." **Kat replied, sitting up. **"What can I do for you, Gerard?" **

"**I was wondering if you might take the time to share with me some of your recipes today, let me experiment with them a little bit."**

"**Of course, I'll be down in about half an hour."**

"**I will be waiting." **The dial tone sounded and Kat got up out of the bed, turning on the light and heading into the bathroom for a quick shower. She pulled on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt, no point in wearing something nice if she was just going to cook, and headed down to the kitchen.

"**Good morning." **Gerard greeted her, taking her hand and kissing it lightly. Kat blushed at the cavalier gesture and showed him her book of recipes she had brought down.

"**What would you like to cook?" **She asked him.

"**Your ravioli idea intrigued me; I would like to try making it, with my curry-flavoured filling, if you don't mind." **Gerard replied. Kat nodded in agreement and accepted the smock that Gerard handed her. They set to work making the dough for the ravioli first, Gerard first watching and then pitching in as she mixed and kneaded.

As she shaped the dough he began to create the little meat packets that would go inside. She watched him as he shaped the little packets and then helped to slip them in the dough and seal them closed, forming the ravioli.

"**Let's try a pesto sauce with these, shall we?" **Gerard suggested, which Kat readily agreed to. The sauce was also made from scratch, and by the time they had gotten the ravioli boiling in a pot of water, Kat was sweating, but happier than she'd ever been in Le Petit Gout.

"**I had forgotten it could be like this, a thing of wonderment rather than just the daily grind." **She told him as they stirred in the pesto sauce.

"**Ahh, and that is why so many good chefs fall flat. They forget that they are making food solely for the enjoyment of making it." **Gerard replied. **"You must never forget that, Kat. Always do something because it's what you enjoy, never think about the money, or the fame. I would be happy making food even if I was working in some run-down hovel, because it is good food and I like making it, and I like making people happy by making good food." **

He handed her a bowl and scooped some of the ravioli into it, taking one for himself. Moving to the fridge he came back with a bottle of red wine and a couple of wine glasses. He poured a little wine into each and handed her one.

"**To good food." **He said, raising his glass. She raised her own and together they drank and then tried the creation they had made together.

%&%&%&%

Joey was headed down to the kitchens to see if he could beg some food before breakfast started when he ran into Kat coming from the other direction. "Oh, excuse-moi, Joey, I did not see you there."

"It's ok Kat, I should have been looking out too, you know?" Joey grinned as he looked down at the small woman. She looked like she had no idea that there was flour dusted on her cheek, but her face was flushed and glowing and she looked so happy.

"What are you doing out of bed so early?" She asked him.

"I was going looking for food actually." Joey replied sheepishly. She smiled at him.

"I think I can help you there, I'll take you to Gerard, see if he can't find something that suits your fancy." She took his arm and led him towards the kitchen.

"Who's Gerard?" Joey asked in confusion.

"Chef Didier." Kat explained.

"You two seem to be spending a lot of time with each other, is there something between you two?"

"Only friendship, and that's all it can be." Kat replied with a sigh. Joey eyed her strangely, but said nothing more. Joey was somewhat shy of the craggy faced chef that ran his kitchen with military precision, but Kat spoke to him in French and he smiled disarmingly up at the young man before drawing him deeper inside the kitchen.

"So, you are greatly appreciative of good food as well?" Gerard asked him in a heavy accent.

"Yeah, you could say so." Joey replied. "I've learned to appreciate what I can get, because I didn't always have a lot, at least until I started cooking for myself."

"You are good cook?" Joey puffed up with pride.

"My friends always tell me I could open up a restaurant with some of my recipes."

"Will you?"

"Nah, I want to be a mechanic, work with cars and stuff, you know?"

"Ahh, bon, bon. They say a life of service is most rewarding of all." Gerard added, topping a plate of waffles with raspberries and cream. He slid it over to Joey, who went at it with gusto. Gerard smiled. "It does my heart good to see someone enjoy my food."

"I would like to ask you something, Joey." Kat said as he ate. Joey shrugged his shoulders. "It seems to me that you are not someone that will allow people to make fun of him, or bully him, so my question is, why do you allow monsieur Kaiba to do those things?"

"Well, I don't think it's really bullying, you know?" Joey explained. "I respect the guy, and I want him to respect me, so when he goes off on me for something I know is wrong, yeah, I fight back. But all the other times, it's kind of fun to have someone to argue with, someone who won't just let me win because I could kick their butts."

"Do you think that monsieur Kaiba has the same sort of respect for you?" Kat asked.

"I don't know, sometimes he backs off when he sees that I'm really upset, but sometimes he just keeps going, and I'm not sure if it's pig-headedness or just ignorance, because he's not real good with human relationships beyond business and his brother, you know?"

"Oui."

"I think he's lonely, but he doesn't seem to realize it, or he doesn't know how to realize it." Joey went on.

"Would you like to see him less lonely?" Kat queried. Joey gave her an odd look and then shrugged.

"Yeah, I was the leader of a gang once, but they weren't really friends, I always had to make sure no one would stab me in the back, and I always wished for someone I could laugh with without worrying." Joey sighed. "I guess I can understand him a little bit, and I wish he wouldn't act so cold sometimes." He stared off into the distance for a time and then shook his head. "Why are you asking all these things anyways?"

"It may be nothing, but it may be something." Kat replied enigmatically. "But, for now I do not know, and I was simply curious." Gerard muttered something in French that made her laugh and playfully swat his arm while replying. Joey gazed between the two of them, getting the feeling that there was something going on that they weren't telling him.

"Well, I should probably get back to my friends, thank you for the meal, chef." Gerard bowed slightly and Joey took his leave of them.

He was hurrying for the stairs when he almost ran right into Seto Kaiba himself. He excused himself and looked up into the cold blue eyes. For a moment something like longing flashed in their azure depths and Joey looked away, confused and uncertain. He hurried up the stairs, feeling Seto's gaze on him like a brand burning into his back.

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Wolf: Review plz!eH


	10. Chapter 10

Wolf: I own nothing!

Kat gleefully watched the two confused boys dance around each other for the next day or so. It wasn't a confession of love yet, but it was getting there, and hopefully before her time was up the two of them would be dating. There was certainly enough sparks flying between them and Kat was getting just so frustrated that nothing was igniting yet.

She was wearing her flour-stained smock, having just come out of another cooking session with Gerard, when she spotted Seto walking along with Mr. Kragen, and decided that a little more intervention was in order. She strode right over and tapped Seto on the shoulder. The tall man looked around for a second before remembering to look down, and his eyes narrowed in suspicion at the sight of her.

"May I have a word with you in private?" She asked him sweetly.

"What are you doing in that messy get-up? Playing baking?" Mr. Kragen sneered. Kat gave him her best dazzling smile.

"I was cooking, for my own enjoyment, and I do so enjoy the feel of flour on skin, keeps it soft and firm I find." She said pleasantly. "What I do is really not your business though, monsieur Kragen. I would like to have a private word with monsieur Kaiba now, if he doesn't mind."

"Alright, I can give you a couple minutes." Seto groused. They walked to a secluded corner of the hall. Surprisingly, it was Seto who jumped into conversation first. "Did you speak to him?" Kat blinked and smiled, understanding what he was getting at.

"Oui, I spoke to him, and I can tell you that you have a chance, you just have to seize it." Kat answered. Seto ran his hands through his hair nervously.

"How do I even do this? I don't know anything about courting, or dating, or whatever, I've never had time and the girls that threw themselves at me were all so trashy and so obviously after my money." Seto rapidly explained.

"Joey has an appreciation for food, I think a dinner date would be most appropriate, and I think I can arrange a special dinner for you and him with Gerard, if you would like?" Kat offered.

"Why are you doing this for us?" Seto questioned.

"I told you, life is too unpredictable to let opportunities for happiness slide by. You two could have something good, because you both respect each other, do you not?" Seto nodded. "He can teach you how to relax, how to be just Seto Kaiba, not Seto Kaiba the businessman and I think that is good for you, and you can give him someone of his own to take care of and be taken care of in return."

"You really think he wants someone to take care of him, he's pretty independent." Seto said sceptically.

"He's had a hard life, and the affection that normally comes from family was absent for him, and that care that comes from that as well. So, oui, I do believe he wishes that someone would take care of him instead of him always having to take care of himself."

"I suppose that makes sense." Seto mused. "How will I get him to come to dinner though, I doubt he'd accept an invitation from me." Kat smiled impishly.

"You leave that to me."

%&%&%&%

To say Joey was surprised by the mysterious little card telling him he had a special dinner reservation for that night was an understatement. He was also bewildered, but thought maybe Kat had something to do with it. Anyways, Yami and Yugi were having a romantic dinner to themselves and Grandpa Motou was out in the town having a look at the history of the area; why not go?

He put on his suit, admiring the stitching around the cuffs. It had taken him years to learn how to sew properly, and to hell with Kaiba and his nastiness, it was a good looking suit for all that it was second hand. He finished off with a pair of black wingtips which were a little bit small for him, and then headed downstairs, invitation in hand.

The waiter looked at the invitation and smiled, leading Joey to a secluded corner, right by the huge, floor-to-ceiling windows. Another person was sitting at the table and as he rose, almost impossibly tall, Joey felt his heart sink as Seto Kaiba turned those hypnotic blue eyes on him.

"No way, no!" Joey yelped. "Is this some kind of sick joke?" Joey backed away, heart squeezing painfully; he never thought Seto would be so cruel. Seto gripped his arm, preventing him from pulling away. "Let me go!"

"Calm down Joey." Seto said softly. Joey paused at the sound of his actual given name coming from Seto's mouth. "This isn't a trick, this is simply dinner." Joey stubbornly tried to pull away again. "Come on, Kat set this all up, you don't want to disappoint her, now do you?"

Joey pursed his lips, narrowing his eyes at Seto sceptically, but he wasn't one to turn down food, whatever the reason for the food. He sat down and Seto sat down across from him, not taking his eyes off of him. That kind of attention was kind of scary, but at the same time, Joey didn't think he'd ever seen that kind of expression in Seto's eyes before, even if he didn't know what it was.

"I never knew that you could sew." Seto stated after a few awkward minutes of silence.

"There's a lot you don't know about me."

"Hmm, I'll bet." Joey growled at Seto.

"Is that a shot?" He demanded.

"No, it's not, but do you have any idea of how incredibly beautiful you are when you're mad?" Seto asked as their first course, a shrimp salad, came out. Joey stared at him like he was crazy.

"Are you serious?" He squeaked.

"Perfectly. You're eyes go hot and look like liquid gold, it's honestly the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Not to mention the fact that you bite back is an extreme turn-on." Joey gaped at him with his mouth open. "Try the salad, Puppy, it's very good." Joey shut his mouth and crunched on his salad, using the time to bring his muddled thoughts into some kind of semblance of order.

"You're pretty good looking when you fight with me, too." Joey finally mumbled in embarrassment. "Your eyes don't look so cold and that smirk is actually kind of sexy sometimes, other times I just want to wipe it off your face with my fist."

"Why didn't you?" Seto asked as steak and potatoes arrived.

"I respected you, and I wanted you to respect me, not fear me." Joey explained. "You're not a bad guy, for all your aloofness and businessman mind."

"I'm glad you think so highly of me." Seto said, somewhat relieved.

"I'm surprised you think of me so highly." Joey muttered, digging into the new course of ravioli.

"You're a self-made man, confident, a little hard-headed, but you don't back down and you've clawed your way out of the worst situations to make something good of yourself." Again Joey was surprised by how much attention that Seto had actually paid to his life.

"Why if you seem to admire me so much do you pick on me the way you do then?" He asked, eyes narrowing again.

"By the time I'd realized that I felt something for you, I had already created this rift between us, and the only contact I really had, the only time I could see that beautiful passion in your eyes was when we fought. Forgive me if I ever said something too cruel."

"Aww, you never said anything that someone else hadn't already, and my old man was a lot meaner than you, I got a tough hide, you know." Joey soothed, taking pity on the socially inept man. White chocolate cheesecake was brought out as the dessert as they spoke. Seto didn't take his eyes off Joey the entire time they were eating, and the emotions in their sapphire depths made shivers of anticipation creep down his spine.

When they were finished the dinner Seto got up first and held out his hand to Joey. Joey hesitantly took it and was brought to his feet swiftly. "Allow me to escort you upstairs, like a proper date would." Joey felt heat rise to his face, partially because of the word 'date' and partly because those words had been whispered against his cheek, warm breath tickling his ear.

Seto got him to place his hand in his elbow and then set out up the stairs. The two of them did not notice the two stained and dusty chefs grinning exuberantly as they watched the two boys head up the stairs, nor did they hear the giggly whisper

"**50 euros say they go for the bedroom!"**

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Wolf: Oooh, I sense a lemon!


	11. Chapter 12

Wolf: I own nothing!

Seto awoke the next morning with his chest pressed up against a muscled back. He opened his eyes a crack and encountered a messy mop of blonde hair in front of his face. They had fallen asleep together, spooning, and it seemed that they had stayed that way through the night. He smiled and nuzzled his face into his lover's sweet-smelling hair, hearing him mumble in protest.

All the sudden the door connecting his room to his brother's room slammed open and Mokuba bounced in, stopping just short of the bed when he realized that Seto wasn't alone in it."Oh, um, I think I'm going to leave now." Mokuba said, blushing a little bit before running back into his room.

"I think we scarred your brother for life." Joey muttered.

"He's got to learn sometime." Seto replied pragmatically.

"Only you would think of it like that." Joey grumbled and snuggled deeper into the bed. "Someday I'm going to have a bed all soft and big like this in my house." He announced.

"Hmm..." Seto replied, running his fingers down Joey's spine. "Puppy?"

"Why do you insist on calling me dog names?" Joey asked, sounding somewhat aggravated.

"You remind me of a big, bumbling puppy, so loyal, friendly and even cute too. It's only a pet name, it's not meant to make you feel bad."

"Ok, I suppose I can put up with it." Joey groused, but Seto could hear the smile in his voice. "Were you going to ask me something?"

"Yes, I was about to ask where all these scars came from." Seto touched one of the scars on Joey's back for emphasis, but withdrew his hand when Joey flinched slightly. "I'm sorry, I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No, I just don't get a lot of people touching them." Joey explained quietly. "Some of them are from my time in a gang, but most of them are from my old man."

"Your father?" Seto repeated. Joey nodded glumly. "I can understand now why you work so hard to get your own apartment." Joey nodded and sat up. "How close are you to having enough money to move out?"

"I'm getting there, but it will take awhile." Joey admitted softly.

"Well, it doesn't have to go on, you can stay with me." Seto stated firmly. Joey turned around and stared at him open-mouthed.

"Why would you want me in your house?" He asked.

"Because you're mine, and I'm not going to sit up nights wondering if you're ok." Seto replied, matter-of-factly.

"Ok, first off, I don't belong to you, and second off, I'm not going to become a charity case, I can take care of myself."

"We belong to each other now, isn't that how it's supposed to work?" Seto responded, nonplussed. "And I never said anything about charity, you'd have to earn your keep."

"How, by having sex with you?" Joey demanded hotly.

"Do you really believe I'm that much of an asshole?" Joey didn't reply. "I'm assuming that if you take care of yourself you know how to cook, correct?"

"Yeah, and pretty good too."

"Well, that's what you can do."

"But, don't you already have cooks in that big old mansion of yours?" Joey asked.

"I do, but they only know how to prepare the fancy fare, and Mokuba has taken a shine to normal food that his friends always eat their houses."

"Oh, so you want someone who can do all the normal stuff for your little brother?" Joey surmised. Seto nodded. "I guess I could do that, but I want my own room."

"Alright." The look that Seto gave him told him that he shouldn't expect to be sleeping alone for long.

%&%&%&%

Kat wandered out of her room in time to wave hello to Yugi and Yami. Then Mokuba skipped down the hall. "Seto and Joey are in Seto's bed together." He announced cheerfully to the couple. Yugi and Yami gave him surprised looks while Kat stifled a giggle as she walked past.

"I have a feeling you had some hand in this." Yami commented when he noticed her. She gave him her best innocent look.

"Oh, I did not do much, but, Gerard does owe me fifty euros now." She replied with a little grin, and then continued on her way down to the kitchens. Gerard greeted her with a smile and a kiss on each cheek, as was the French custom.

"**So, do you know if your little idea worked?" **He asked her.

"**The little brother came out and said that they were in bed together, so I believe you owe me fifty euros." **Kat replied with a giggle.

"**Ahh, you are cruel to take away this poor man's money." **Gerard's eyes twinkled as he handed over the money. **"So, do you wish to dine, or to cook today?"**

"**I wish to cook, I have been quite enjoying myself in this kitchen of late." **Gerard nodded his head and the two of them busied themselves with making food for their hungry patrons.

"**I have something to ask you, Kat, and I hope that you do not find it presumptuous." **Gerard said after some time.

"**What is it, Gerard?" **Kat asked.

"**I have taken the liberty of sending in an application with your name on it for work in this kitchen." **Gerard admitted. Kat stopped what she was doing and stared at him, bewildered. **"You like working in this kitchen, don't you?"**

"**Yes, I do."**

"**And you have no job to go back to in Montreal."**

"**That is correct as well."**

"**Then you should work here, with us." **Gerard stated. **"Since I am head chef I get final say and I say yes. So, what do you say?"**

Kat sighed and looked down, suddenly feeling very weary. She put down her knife and turned completely to Gerard; it was time to come clean with him.

"**May we speak somewhere privately?" **Kat asked. Gerard's brows furrowed in confusion, but he led her into his office anyways and shut the door. **"I have not been entirely truthful to you in that everything I've told you about myself is true, but I have omitted some things."**

"**Such as...?"**

"**I had cancer when I was younger, and a little while back I found I had it again." **Kat explained slowly. **"There is a tumour pressing on my spinal cord and soon it will snap it, and I will die." **

Gerard stared at her, his face unreadable. Tears welled up in Kat's eyes and then slid down her cheeks. As she lowered her face into her hands she felt a calloused hand on her shoulder.

"**There is no way to get rid of this?" **Gerard asked her. She shook her head back and forth. **"How much longer do you have?"**

"**A week, maybe less." **Kat replied shakily.

"**So, you came here to live out your dream before you passed on." **Kat nodded again. **"Has it been all that you hoped it would be?" **Kat lifted her head and gave him a watery smile.

"**No. It has been more wonderful than I could have ever imagined."**

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Wolf: Review plz!


	12. Chapter 13

Wolf: I own nothing!

"So, you and Seto." Yami grinned at Joey when he sat down to breakfast with them. Joey blushed and tried to hide the hickeys on his neck.

"Yami don't tease him." Yugi chastised his lover. "I think it's wonderful that they got together. I always thought there were some sparks between them."

"Well, if the two of you are happy." Solomon stated, sipping at his coffee.

"I think we're happy. I know he's actually very affectionate." Joey explained. "And me, he makes me feel safe, and wanted and beautiful."

"That's the way that Yami makes me feel, and I wouldn't trade that feeling for anything else in the world." Yugi nuzzled against Yami happily. Joey grinned at the two of them. When Yugi turned away to talk to his grandfather Joey pulled Yami close.

"Has Tea made any more trouble lately?" He asked.

"She's flaunted herself in front of me, trying to flirt, but after Kat found that note I think she's run out of ideas." Yami murmured in reply. "I told Yugi what happened, just in case she tried something like that again, but it was hard to convince him that Tea would do something like that."

"You should have him talk to Kat, she was the one who spotted it, wasn't she?" Yami nodded, turning back to Yugi at the touch of his hand. A brief caress of Joey's hair made him look up just as Seto walked by with his brother, Mr. Kragen and Tea. Tea shot Yugi a hate-filled look that Yugi completely missed, but Joey did not. He shook his head at Yami and rolled his eyes.

He craned his neck, looking around the dining room, hoping to catch a glimpse of Kat. "Are you looking for Kat?" Solomon asked. Joey nodded his head. "I saw her in the kitchen actually, she seems to like it in there."

"Or at least someone that works in there." Joey muttered, thinking about Gerard and the way he looked at Kat sometimes. Kat didn't seem to notice that, either that or she was ignoring it for some reason. She was a bit of an odd little thing, and there was something she wasn't saying, something important, but he didn't have the drive or the cunning to try and figure out what that was.

He suddenly saw her appear for a brief moment by the kitchen door and waved like a lunatic. She seemed to have noticed because a moment later she came walking out of the kitchen to say hello. Her white smock and face was spattered with something red, but she looked happy as a clam.

"Bonjour, Joey, did you have a good night?" She asked with a decidedly lecherous grin.

"Yeah, I guess I have you to thank for that." Joey admitted. She waved his compliment away.

"What mess have you been rolling in?" Tea asked rudely from the other table. Kat turned and gave her a disinterested stare.

"I have been... experimenting." Kat explained cheerfully. "The blender was not cooperating with our efforts though." She licked at her upper lip, where some of the red goo was and smacked her lips in appreciation. "It is raspberry, we were thinking of making a raspberry and lemon sauce for waffles."

"That sounds good." Joey grinned. "Why don't we let you get back to work?"

"Merci." Kat said, bowing her head slightly and going back into the kitchen.

"There's a girl who loves what she does." Solomon commented. "Nothing wrong with that." He gave Tea at the other table a pointed look. Tea sniffed and stuck her nose in the caught Joey's eye from across the room and winked at him before turning back to whatever Mr. Kragen was saying.

%&%&%&%

Kat sighed as she headed up to her room. She had stayed in the kitchen over breakfast and through lunch until Gerard noticed her rubbing the back of her head and bullied her into going upstairs to take a nap. She had to admit she was feeling rather tired, and her headache wasn't helping matters. It was a shame really, she had all but forgotten her 'little problem'.

She unlocked her door, stepped inside and then froze, her eyes widening in shock. There were flowers everywhere, all of them roses in different colours and sizes. Her heart skipped a beat as their fragrance washed over her and she sat down quite abruptly on the ground. For a moment she wondered who could have known that roses were her favourite, but then remembered that she had told Gerard.

Tears pricked her eyes as she smiled, finally fully understanding Gerard's interest in her. She was happy that someone was paying such attention to her, but sad that it was happening all too late. A small sob escaped her lips as she sat there and tears spilled down her cheeks.

"Are you alright?" She had not closed the door completely and when she turned she saw Mokuba's worried face above her, peeking in cautiously. She sniffed and didn't answer, there was no way she could have in that moment. "Big brother!" She heard footsteps and then the door opened wider and Seto's face appeared above her.

"What are you doing on the ground?" He asked her. She gestured around the room.

"Look at all this!" He looked around, noting the roses.

"Someone obviously likes you very much."

"It's Gerard, he's the only one who knows I love roses. I said it was hopelessly cliché and he thought it was wonderfully romantic." She sobbed out.

"I thought there was something more besides friendship there." Seto sighed. "So, why the tears?"

"Because it can't be!" Kat yelped. Seto gave her a perplexed look.

"Aren't you the one who said take a risk on love?" He said. "Are you a hypocrite?"

"No, it's nothing like that, it's..." She paused and then looked up at him again. She sighed tiredly and lowered her head. "You didn't find out why I was taking medications?"

"No, I may be a businessman but I do have some morals, and I respect at least some privacy." Seto replied huffily. Kat stood up and walked to her bed, sitting down on it.

"Can you close the door, what I have to say is very private indeed." She asked him. Seto did as she asked and leaned against the door. Kat stared at him for a long moment before plunging in. "I'm dying."

"Excuse me?" Seto asked, his brain short-circuiting for a second.

"I have a tumour growing in the back of my brain, pressing on the spinal cord. They cannot operate, and they cannot treat it. Soon it will grow enough to sever my spinal cord completely, and I will die."

"Just like that?" Seto queried, aghast.

"Just like that." Kat sighed. "I've spent my life telling myself I'd do all the things I dreamed, someday. Well, someday didn't come, and now I'm trying to fit all my dreams into the time I have left."

"You came here to die?"

"Oui." Kat sighed again. "I wanted my last memories to be my best. I just can't help feel like I've wasted so much time. Do you think that there are second chances for life?"

Seto, knowing a lot about the afterlife from eavesdropping on Yami, knew that it was possible for reincarnation. He also knew that if he told her exactly what he knew, she would think he was loony. He had to word this carefully, tactfully.

"I think that if you really want another chance, you can be given it." He said slowly.

"All I can do is hope, huh?"

Seto, with very little experience in having to comfort someone other than his little brother, nodded his head and then quietly exited the room, leaving her alone to her thoughts.

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Wolf: Review plz!


	13. Chapter 14

Wolf: I own nothing!

Kat stood outside the kitchens, feeling awkward and embarrassed. She'd never had anyone outside her family pay this much attention to her, and she didn't really know how to respond to it. She had to say now that she thought about it that she did like him back, with his kind mannerism, his interest in her and her work and his encouragements.

As she stood there arguing back and forth with herself the decision was made for her to go in by Gerard spotting her and waving her in, his craggy face lit with a smile. She ducked her head and walked inside the kitchen, feeling the scent of food and the heat of the stoves and ovens envelope her like a familiar blanket. This was where she belonged.

"**You got the flowers?" **Gerard asked eagerly.

"**Yes, they were lovely, and-" **Gerard put up a hand, silencing her.

"**There is more." **He stated. Kat's brow furrowed in confusion and he chuckled slightly. **"I have arranged for the remainder of your stay here to be free of charge." **Kat's eyes bulged and her mouth hung open as she stared at him, uncomprehending for a long, long while.

"**I cannot stay here for free!" **She finally protested. **"I cannot take advantage of that."**

"**Think of it this way, you are helping out in the kitchens all the time, so instead of a paycheck you get room and board instead." **Gerard explained, trying to soothe away her distressed mood. **"It just doesn't seem right to me that you should have to pay for all these things in the last days of your life." **

"**What else am I to do with the money I have?" **Kat shrugged and her shoulders slumped a little bit.

"**What is wrong?" **Gerard asked in alarm.

"**I am just overwhelmed that someone would be so kind to me, no one's ever done so much for me before." **

"**Then it's high time someone did." **Gerard sniffed. **"You are a wonderful person, Kat, don't ever let anyone tell you different." **He moved close, placing a hand on her waist. Kat stiffened slightly.

"**I do not think that romance is a good idea." **She said, interpreting his intentions. **"I am dying, remember?" **

"**Better to have love for a short time, than none at all." **Gerard replied pragmatically. **"Let our memories of each other be able to be remembered fondly, without any regrets." **Kat stared into his dark, expressive eyes for a long moment, trying to figure out how to deny what he was saying, but in the end, there was nothing that could be said.

"**You're right." **She admitted softly. **"We must both make the most of this time." **Gerard smiled and then pulled her closer, planting a soft kiss on her nose and then on her lips. Kat leaned against him, enjoying the moment and letting it take away any memory of her impending death.

%&%&%&%

Joey yelped as a pair of hands slid around his waist. A head rested on top of his and a soft hum of appreciation was heard. "Seto?" Joey asked.

"You know what I like about this?" Seto asked musingly. "You're tall enough that I don't have to bend down halfway to meet you."

"Didn't think you'd be one for thinking about that sort of thing." Joey murmured.

"I didn't." Seto agreed. "Until you, that is." Joey blushed at the thought that he had gotten through Seto's emotional defences. "Let's take a walk, have dinner together again, perhaps?"

"Why don't we all have dinner, your guests with my friends? I think Yami wants to interrogate you." Joey grinned at the groan that Seto emitted.

"In front of my guests?"

"He wants to see if you'll be true in front of other people, I think." Joey replied. "He'll find some way eventually, why not get it over with, right?"

"Hmm, I suppose there is some wisdom in that." Seto agreed. "Very well, they can have dinner with us tonight, if you'll come take a walk with me now." Joey nodded in agreement and he was released. Seto held out a hand to him and Joey took it, blushing again when Seto's hand squeezed lightly.

"I feel like we should be doing something to thank Kat for getting us together." Joey said thoughtfully as they walked.

"I actually thought about that, and I had entertained the idea of paying for the rest of her stay here, but someone had beaten me to it."

"We could get her something else?"

"There's not much she'd have much use for."

"Huh?" Seto halted, realizing that Kat had yet to tell Joey that she was dying. He decided to keep silent, knowing it was something that Kat would have to tell him herself.

"Never mind, it's not that important." Joey narrowed his eyes at him, trying to decide if Seto was lying or not. He shrugged eventually, and allowed Seto to escort him around. They came, after some time, to the kitchen area, where Joey coaxed Seto into taking a peek inside to see if Kat was there.

They found Kat and Gerard cooking together, Gerard behind Kat, working with his arms reaching out from behind her and his chin on her shoulder as he spoke into her ear. Kat's face was painted with a bright blush that only deepened when Gerard favoured her with a light kiss on her cheek.

"Aww, that's cute." Joey grinned at the two of them. "I'm glad she got some matchmaking for her own self done."

Seto had a feeling it was Gerard that made all the advances, knowing that Kat was dying and likely not to even consider falling in love in the twilight of her life. "They do look happy together, don't they?" He mused. He didn't add that the happiness wouldn't last much longer, but he supposed that a little bit of happiness was better than none at all.

%&%&%&%

"So, how come we're sitting with Kaiba?" Yugi asked as they were led to the dining table that night. "Is it because of you, Joey?"

"Well, yeah, actually." Joey admitted. "He wanted me to sit with them tonight, and I said only if you could sit with them too."

"Well, this means I can have a chance to talk with him." Yami said, cracking his knuckles in a meaningful way.

"You know I can take care of myself, right?" Joey said in a somewhat pained voice.

"I'm your friend, Joey, we look out for each other, and I want to be satisfied that he is not playing with you." Yami replied. "This is very unusual for him and I'm not sure I like him acting so different." Joey just rolled his eyes and continued over to where he could see Seto sitting.

Seto stood up and gestured to the seat next to him for Joey to sit. Joey sat down and his friends sat in the other places still available. Yami's suspicious crimson eyes locked on Seto's as soon as he sat down. Seto returned the stare with a mild one of his own.

"So, Kaiba, what is your intention exactly with Joey?" Yami asked idly. Seto stared at him a long moment, contemplating his answer.

"First of all I plan to take him out of the clutches of his drunkard father and into mine where I know he's safe." Yami's eyebrow lifted a tiny fraction. "Then I plan to lavish him with all the attention he's been deprived of in a broken home, and maybe someday... making our union official." Joey blushed deeply at the last part. Yami's eyebrows lowered and his countenance softened a touch as he looked at Seto.

"Are you saying, Kaiba, that you are seeing this bedraggled little-"

"One more word, Matthew, and I'll bankrupt your company. I'll have no one putting down my lover like that. He is a wonderful, kind, loyal and determined person, and I am lucky to call him mine." Yami's face relaxed even further and he smiled as he spoke again.

"I think I am happy to admit for once that I was wrong."

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Wolf: Review plz!


	14. Chapter 15

Wolf: I own nothing!

"**I think you should attend the gala tonight." **Gerard told Kat as they worked on breakfast together, stealing kisses and touches at every opportunity.

"**What, you don't want me bothering you in the kitchens?" **She teased, feeling more comfortable with him than she ever had with anyone else.

"**On the contrary, nothing would make me happier than to have you in the kitchens with me, but Mr. Kaiba has extended an invitation to you, I believe, and it would be rude to ignore it." **

"**I suppose, but I will go only on one condition." **Kat firmly told him. **"You have to come out sometime in the night and dance with me." **

"**I think I can manage that." **Gerard said with a smile and a light kiss on the cheek. **"Now go, you'll want time to get ready and such things that women do." **Kat smiled and returned his cheek kiss before discarding of her smock and all but skipping out of the kitchen. She had a lot to accomplish before tonight, in more ways than one.

The first thing she did when she got to her room was walk over to the little safe that was in every room for the guests' private items and open it, taking out a thin sheaf of papers. She ruffled through them, skimming over the words on the page as though assuring herself that everything in them was in order. She put the papers back with a sigh, wiping away moisture from her eyes and then grabbed her purse and headed for the door; there was shopping to be done.

%&%&%&%

Seto stared around the crowded dining hall, searching for the one face that had yet to make an appearance at the gala. A hand touched his and he looked over at Joey, whose expression was both patient and strained at the same time.

"You're making everybody nervous, Seto, she'll be here, just be patient." The blond pleaded. Seto sighed, but stopped looking towards the door every five seconds.

"I'm sure this is going to be an enlightening night for us all, once our final guest gets here." Mr. Kragen said in a smug tone that Seto didn't trust. He tapped his fingers against the table, but said nothing, knowing that Matthew Kragen would just love keeping him in the dark and gloating about it if there was something that he knew that Seto did not. He refused to rise to the bait of a pompous windbag.

Yami and Yugi had not really noticed Seto's discomfort, they were engrossed in a conversation with Solomon, something about Ancient Egypt from what Seto could pick up from their conversation. It didn't surprise him, as a former pharaoh Yami had knowledge of all areas of life in Ancient Egypt, which endlessly fascinated the old man. Joey was the only one at the table that seemed to sense that he was on edge, even Mokuba was distracted by Yami.

Suddenly Joey tapped him on the shoulder and jerked his head in the direction of the door. Seto turned around and his jaw dropped. Kat was wearing a floor-length, sleeveless black gown that simmered slightly in the light of the chandeliers. Her eyes were ringed with grey shadow, creating a smoky, sultry look and her lips were the colour of the reddest rose you could imagine. She held herself proudly, the beauty of her confidence finally shining through the plainness of her features. No one could call her ordinary tonight.

She seemed to float over to their table and sat down with a shy smile. "Bonjour, and merci for the invite, monsieur Kaiba."

"Please, after all that you've done, I think we can be on a first name basis." Kat nodded her head in assent.

"Well then, merci, Seto." Seto smiled at her as the first course came out. Kat chuckled at the sight of the seafood salad, as though thinking of some private joke and looked at the salad with amusement and affection. She said something quietly in French, something that sounded like 'he flirts so interestingly', but Seto decided not to ask, thinking he probably wouldn't understand the answer anyways.

"So, I think I have some news to share with everyone." Mr. Kragen said with a predatory grin. Tea began to look wickedly amused as well, a look that Seto did not like at all. He waited though, as uneasy as he was, for what Mr. Kragen had to say. "I must say that Miss Kat has been quite the enigma for the past little while, hasn't she?"

"A regular little riddle." Tea chirped in an annoyingly high voice.

"But now, I have the truth." Mr. Kragen's grin grew into a nasty leer. "She is no dignitary, CEO, she's not anyone important even. She's just a second-rate chef from a backwater town." He smugly smirked at Kat, who gave him a disinterested look.

"Montreal is hardly backwater, and I never said I was anyone important, you simply assumed." Kat told him. "I came here because I am set to die very soon now, and I wanted to be able to enjoy my last days. Perhaps if you had maybe done more careful digging, and maybe wasn't such a jerk, than you would have found that out. The worth of a man in my eyes is not measured by his pocketbook."

"You've got a lot of nerve saying all these things to people who are above you." Tea sniffed.

"May I remind you, Tea Gardner, that you are from a middle income family and you are here as an assistant, and likely bed-mate, to Mr. Kragen." Seto retorted. "All men are equal, something Mr. Kragen should learn, and why I treat everyone with the same distain."

"You cannot possibly be siding with the help!" Mr. Kragen cried.

"'The help', as you put it, has more courage, and more nobility than most businessmen I have had the opportunity to deal with, and that includes you." Seto growled. "Oh, and Kaiba Corp is no longer considering doing business with your company."

Mr. Kragen stared at Seto, mouth open, for a long moment and then stood up and left, Tea trailing after him.

"Merci, Seto." Kat whispered. "I am sorry that you lost business over me though."

"No, I try only to deal with those I can trust even a little bit, and Matthew Kragen obviously cannot be trusted." Seto replied. "He shouldn't have said a great many things."

"Even so..." Kat said worriedly. But, as she spoke the band was struck up, and a smooth waltz began to play. One by one couples emerged from the tables to dance on the open floor. Yugi and Yami went out, and after a moment Joey allowed himself to be reluctantly led onto the floor as well. Kat sat until there was a tap on her shoulder, then took Gerard's hand and let him lead her onto the floor as well.

"**You look stunning." **Gerard declared as they danced.

"**It's just the dress and the makeup." **Kat said, blushing. Gerard lifted her chin and looked into her eyes.

"**No, it's all you, Kat, it's always been just you." **Gerard asserted. **"You are a beautiful young woman, you just never believed it, and so it never shone through, until now. I saw it from the moment you stepped in that dining hall, and I have continued to see it, even now." **

Kat smiled, and then winced, bringing one hand to the back of her head. **"Your head, it is alright?" **Kat nodded.

"**Pain has been a constant companion these last few days." **She explained. **"The pain though is worth what I have experienced these last few weeks. I met you, and I felt love for at least a short time. I think that is worth everything I have gone through." **

"**I am glad of that, though I wish that we could have more time together." **Kat touched his face gently.

"**Be glad of the time we have." **She replied. He wrapped his arms around her and sealed his mouth over hers in a soft, loving kiss. She closed her eyes and he felt her lean against him. The kiss continued for a moment more before they parted, staring into each other's eyes. Then Kat's eyes rolled back into her head and she went limp.

Gerard let out a cry of pain that stopped the music. He lowered Kat's limp body to the ground as Seto and Joey ran up. He pressed his fingers to her neck, checking for a pulse. As Seto knelt beside him, he looked up, eyes filled with tears, and shook his head. He touched her lips softly and let out a deep sigh.

"She is gone."

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Wolf: Review plz!


	15. Chapter 16

Wolf: I own nothing!

An ambulance was called and Kat's prone body borne away, but Gerard, Seto and Joey knew that it was for nothing, Kat was gone, forever. Joey sniffled and rubbed at his nose. "It ain't fair." He sobbed. "She was awesome, why did she have to die?"

"Even good people die for no reason." Yami answered, gently squeezing his friend's shoulder. Joey nodded, but he still looked upset enough for Seto to put an arm around his shoulders and kiss his cheek gently. Gerard had shuffled back to his kitchen, looking shell-shocked, and now his staff were urging him to sit while he attempted to keep cooking.

The rest of the diners were too shocked by the collapse of Kat to think about continuing and slowly the great ballroom emptied, leaving only a few still standing, staring at the spot where she had fallen. "Come on, puppy." Seto finally urged gently, steering his lover out of the ballroom, the others trailing after them. A howl of anguish followed them out.

%&%&%&%

Gerard trudged with heavy footsteps up the hotel stairs, a key card in his hand. It was early and none of the guests were up, which was good, he didn't want to have to talk to anyone. He finally found himself standing in front of one of the doors, just staring at it. He touched his hand to the wood and then with a heavy sigh, he unlocked the door and stepped inside.

The bed was unmade, the sheets rumpled and tangled by their occupant's last sleep in them. A few personal photos adorned the dresser and Gerard picked up one, understanding that the people in it were Kat's deceased parents. The others seemed to be a couple of young women, and Kat herself. That picture he slid out of the frame and folded it into his pocket.

He continued over to the little safe that would hold anything that Kat felt was too precious to be stolen. He knew how to reset the locking system and he did so, opening the little door. He smiled at the sight of the dried rose sitting atop the bundle of papers and the book within. He gently stroked the petals, smiling both in sadness and love.

He carefully lifted out the rose and took out the bundle of papers. As he read them his eyebrows went up and a low chuckle escaped his throat.

%&%&%&%

"What's this all about?" Joey asked, yawning as he and Seto made their way down to the hotel office. They had gotten a phone call, too early after the sleepless night they had shared, and had gotten dressed to come down as per Gerard's instructions.

"I don't know puppy, but I'll bet it has to do with Kat." Seto sighed, rubbing at his own eyes tiredly. He was used to late nights, but not late nights comforting his crying lover or crying himself and so he was understandably tired. They were ushered into the office, where Gerard and a man in a suit were already seated. Seto's instincts identified him as a lawyer.

"Please, have a seat." Gerard said in his thick French accent. "I am sorry to have called you so early, but I thought it was best to get this done as soon as possible."

"Get what done?" Joey asked, yawning widely.

"The dividing of Kat Dawson's earthly possessions as dictated by her will." The lawyer replied in a clipped, Swiss-accented voice. Seto and Joey both blinked in surprise; neither had been expecting that.

"Why do we need to be here, then?" Seto asked.

"Kat has left Joey and you something." Gerard replied. "Please, let the lawyer do his job." The lawyer began speaking.

"I, Kat Dawson, being of sound mind, do divide up my possessions as follows to the following individuals." He paused a moment. "To Joey Wheeler and Yugi Motou I leave the money left in my bank account to be divided between them as they see fit, to pursue their education."

"She left me and Yugi her money?" Joey whispered, dazed.

"She knew you needed it, and probably knew you wouldn't let me pay for it." Seto replied.

"To Seto Kaiba, I leave my parents' wedding and engagement rings, in the hope that he will find some use for them some day." Seto actually blushed at the suggestion that he would marry Joey someday.

"And for Gerard Didier, I leave my precious book of recipes, so that he may continue on my legacy of good food." Gerard sniffled slightly, but he was smiling as well. "The rest of my possessions may be divided as those previously mentioned see fit." The lawyer reshuffled the bundle of papers together with a satisfied air and looked around to see if there were any questions. When there was not he went with Seto and Joey to draw the money from Kat's account. Gerard went his own way, clutching the book of recipes to his heart.

The wheel turns and time goes by...

Joey Wheeler grinned as his teacher nodded approvingly at his diagnosis of what was wrong with the car he was working on. In another building of the university, Yugi Motou and Yami listened with rapt attention as the history professor spoke of the ancient Greek mythology. All three silently thanked the young lady who gave them the chance to go to school.

Seto Kaiba swallowed nervously as he fingered the ring with the creamy gold diamond set in it. He was going to pop the question tonight and he was more scared than he had ever been. He silently sent up a prayer, not to the gods, but to a certain, plucky, plain young lady who had graced him with the ring.

Gerard Didier worked steadfastly in the kitchen, humming softly to himself. Every so often he gazed at the tattered little cookbook that rested on a shelf. He honoured the woman that he had loved for such a short, but wonderful time by offering one of her dishes each night on the menu under the name Kat's Selections.

And finally...

Seto and Joey stared around the orphanage at the multitude of children that played, cried, read and watched tv within its walls. They wanted to adopt, they had been married for a few years and wanted a child of their own to love. Seto had found the orphanage that he and Mokuba had lived in and decided to choose a child here.

"Which one?" Joey asked in bewilderment. Seto shook his head, searching for a child that would stand out to them.

"In the kitchen, underfoot again, little miss, what are we going to do with you?" A young worker came into the room with a little girl in her arms. She was probably only about five years old, plain, with blue eyes that stared solemnly at Seto and Joey as they stared back. Both hearts skipped a beat, could it be?

"And who is this child?" Seto asked, his mouth dry.

"This is Kat, she seems to want to cook very badly, don't you?" Little Kat didn't answer, but simply stuck her thumb in her mouth, still staring at Seto and Joey.

"I think this is our little girl." Joey whispered, holding out his arms to little Kat. She instantly tucked her head under his chin, wrapping arms around his neck as Seto and Joey stared at each other over her head in wonder. Life had come full circle once again.

**THE END!**


End file.
